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More about Premature Labor:
Definition Causes and symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Prognosis Prevention Resources |
If premature labor is managed successfully, the pregnancy may continue normally for the delivery of a healthy infant. Once symptoms of preterm labor occur during the pregnancy, the mother and fetus need to be monitored regularly since it is likely that premature labor will occur again. If the preterm labor cannot be stopped or controlled, the infant will be delivered prematurely. These infants that are born prematurely have an increased risk of health problems including birth defects, lung problems, mental retardation, blindness, deafness, and developmental disabilities. If the infant is born too early, its body systems may not be mature enough for it to survive. Evaluating the infant's lung maturity is one of the keys to determining its chance of survival. Fetuses delivered further into pregnancy and those with more mature lungs are more likely to survive.
— Altha Roberts Edgren
